nick of time
by Sorry I Just Did
Summary: "It was now or never, he had decided, he had to get it out of him, or he might never be able to again." -Korra-centric, slight Makorra.


**Okay so this was inspired by Eyes Open by Taylor Swift, I hope you guys like it!**

**And holy crap guys, my other story that I put up for LoK? It got 150 visitors in two days! Ashkjsdrhfskjdfal. You guys are the fucking shit, you know that right? You are officially loved. –huggles- And I rarely huggle. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, it should be obvious by now.**

**I would have uploaded it sooner but Fanfiction was going through some updates. It was torture.**

* * *

"_This is where the legacy of benders will come to an end. They will reign over our lives no more!" _Amon roared, speeding towards the crumpled Avatar.

"No . . ." She moaned, she pulled herself up on her elbows and watched in horror as Amon sped towards her. She heard screaming as he placed his fingers on her forehead. She wasn't sure if it was hers or those around her, watching horrified.

She felt the intensity and electricity of Amon's powers seeping into her and she blacked out.

When she woke up, she was back at the Southern Water Tribe, watching her younger self play Soldier with one of the kinder Lotus sentries.

"C'mon old man! Is that all you got?" Her younger self taunted, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The sentry was doubled over, hands on his knees and panting, he looked up at the young Avatar and chuckled, "I guess it is, Avatar Korra. You've defeated me, it seems." He said kindly.

Her younger self stopped bouncing and pouted, "Aw man that was too easy! Maybe we should give _you _training instead of me! It looks like you need it more than I do!" She declared, running up to the man, and helping him stand up steadily.

He chuckled again and smiled down at the young Avatar, "Avatar Korra, you know the training we're giving is specialized for your abilities and your abilities only." He reminded her gently.

"Yeah I know, but there should also be training to help you guys, too. I mean really, I can beat you guys so easily!" She said thoughtfully, "Maybe I could give you guys' lessons!" She said after a moment of thought.

The sentry shook his head, "No Avatar Korra, you need to focus on your studies." He told her and she sighed but agreed.

"Okay, but only because you said so nicely. The other guys are so boring and strict! They're such a bore!" She said freely, not caring that those guys happened to be his friends.

He laughed once more, "You know they're not so bad once you get to know them." He told her as they walked back to the training area.

She looked up at him with big blue eyes, "Really? They seem so mean and tough but of course, I'm the Avatar so I could easily beat them in my sleep." She boasted.

He chuckled and messed up her hair, "Come on Avatar Korra it's getting late and the sentries will be getting worried." He said to her and she nodded and ran back to the training area.

. . .

The next scene Korra found herself watching was one from when she had just arrived in Republic City. It had been a month or two since her arrival and she was walking by herself down the busy streets of the city.

She was passing by an empty gully when a small group of chi-blockers had jumped her. They pulled her into the gully and surrounded her.

"What-? Not following your precious Amon anymore?" She snapped, watching their every twitch and move.

One of the chi-blockers sneered, "Of course not, that old man was just playing games without heads, we need equality now." The voice from behind the mask said and they advanced.

Korra blocked herself as best as she could, using fire and earth to protect her body from the chi-blockers attempts to block her chi. One of them shot their gloved hand to her arm and she jumped away and sent a powerful fire kick in the chi-blockers direction.

She sent out flurries of fire and water attacks in hopes to subdue the gaining chi-blockers. As she battled, she had one of those moments where she couldn't believe that she had stepped into a world like this.

When she had run away to the city, she had expected life here to be a breeze; the only trouble it would bring her would be the air bending training. But when she had arrived she had been thrown headfirst into the cruel games of the masked man named Amon who sought out the oppression (no not equality) of benders.

She let out a strangled cry and sent a wave of fire circling around her, knocking down the advancing chi-blockers. They collapsed like rocks onto the ground and Korra stood in the middle of the crumpled bodies, panting.

She looked around her and closed her eyes. She had not expected this.

. . .

'_Avatar Fails to Protect Citizens'_

Korra remembered that day so well, as she watched herself go through that dreaded day.

The headlines silently screamed at her. They were everywhere, those damned headlines. Everywhere she turned, someone was reading that newspaper, those words stamped on every front cover, mocking her. Every now and then, someone would glance up from their paper and shoot her a dirty look as she walked down the busy street. She would just ignore the looks and keep walking.

She wasn't sure how the word got out about the battle that had taken place three nights ago at the secluded, abandoned factory yard in the pouring rain. The fight was between her and a couple of chi-blockers set strategically by Amon. She wasn't sure where the two citizens fit into the picture, how did they get there? What were they doing there?

But as soon as she saw them, she knew she had to get them out of there. It was far too dangerous, they would be killed. The chi-blockers had been gaining strength; their gloves could now kill if necessary.

She had screamed to the awfully confused people, "_Go! Run away from here, don't look back, run!" _She had screamed over and over again, finally running up to them and trying to push them out of the way.

"But that's our factory, it's burning, it's burning!" The woman had screeched, clinging to Korra's clothes as she wept.

"Ma'am, this factory has been closed for over fifty years," She explained, while trying to push them from their spots, but they wouldn't budge.

"We used to live here! Our sons grew up here! Now look, it's burning!" The man sobbed, falling to his knees.

"Mister, you have to get up, take your wife and run far away from here." She urged, more frantic than before. She heard footsteps rushing towards her from behind and she ripped the woman from her and spun around. She shot a quick blast of fire towards the chi-blockers followed by large boulders. The chi-blockers stumbled and were momentarily subdued.

Korra turned her attention back to the hysterical couple, "Run away, run now!" She cried, picking up the screeching woman and rushing over to the man.

Lightning and thunder cracked through the sky, the rain was falling down even harder now, "Mister, take my hand, get up! You need to get away from here! It's not safe!" She yelled at him, holding out her hand. She looked back at the chi-blockers; they were rising from the ground. Their stances were a bit shaky but that wouldn't matter soon. She looked beyond them to see the full damage their battle had caused, the factory behind them was burning and about to collapse.

She cried and grabbed the man, she half-dragged him and half-carried the woman away from the destroyed factory. They screamed frantically at her, begging her to bring them back. She gritted her teeth and kept moving. She walked as fast as she could, running into the empty city.

The city was deserted at night, not a single soul wandered the streets. She kept running, finally stopping to rest, near the heart of the city, in a back alley. She placed the man and woman down, leaning them against the wall as they huddled together and sobbed.

She sighed frustrated and ran her hand through her hair, which had fallen out of their usual do and now hung loose down her shoulders. She paced back and forth, wondering what to do next. She couldn't just leave these two here, who knows where other chi-blockers may be hiding? But she couldn't hide here forever, eventually the chi-blockers would find her and she would have to fight them, but the couple would be in danger, then. She needed to get them out of the way.

She stopped pacing and turned towards the man, the less hysterical of the two, "Mister, you need to tell me where you live, I can bring you there and you will be safe there." She said kindly.

He stopped sobbing and turned a sharp eye towards her, "Why would I tell _you _where I live? So you can burn that down as well? You're a monster! All you benders are!" HE shouted at her, lunging at her. Her eyes widened and she covered herself with her arms.

She struggled against the man's furious clawing and attempts to harm her, she finally grabbed a hold of his arms and pinned him to the wall.

"Look Mister, I don't want to hurt you. It's not safe out here. Go home." She ordered.

"It's not safe because you benders made it so." He spat in her face. She grimaced, his words hurt. Before she could reply, the woman screamed in agony and collapsed in a heap. Korra dropped the man and snapped her head in the direction of where she lay.

Her eyes widened in horror, the woman lay slumped at the feet of the chi-blockers. They stood around her crumpled body like enemy soldiers invading the home front.

"No Kuri!" The man shouted and crawled to the woman's side. He cried and checked over and over again in futile to see if she had survived. He turned towards Korra with hate filled eyes, "This is all _your _fault." He accused, venom dripping from his every word.

Korra snapped out of her shocked reverie and lunged at the chi-blockers. She sent waves of fire and water, pushing them farther and farther away from the grieving man and his dead wife.

"You killed an innocent woman, who knows if she was a bender or not. What would your precious Amon say to that?" She shouted at the chi-blockers as they fumbled around, shocked at her sudden outburst.

One of them fell down, their mask falling off, revealing the face of a young man, he looked up at her and glared, "He said to kill whoever got in the way of our mission; he said it's all boiling down now. The war has started." He said icily, before passing out. The chi-blockers quickly up to their feet; they grabbed the unconscious man and sped away. Korra wasted no time in rushing to the man's side.

She reached out to check the woman's pulse but the man slapped her hand away, "Do not touch her, do not stand near her. It's your fault that she died. Benders are a nuisance to the world. If you care for the world, stay away from us." He said coldly.

Korra's anger flared, "Now look here Miste-"but before she could finish a stray chi-blocker jumped out from behind a box and lunged. She screamed and lunged towards the man, to push him out the way but it was too late. The chi-blocker had struck the man in the back of his head.

The man crumpled silently to the ground, next to his wife. Korra looked shocked for a moment before snapping her head up and sending a furious wave of fire towards the chi-blocker. He was sent hurtling back towards the wall and crashed straight through it.

Korra summoned a wave of water and rode it towards the fallen chi-blocker. She approached him just as he was getting up, the chi-blocker saw her coming and ran away, jumping from store to store, building to building, speeding away.

Korra dropped her wave and fell silently to the ground. She stood silently for a moment before turning to the crumpled bodies; the war had claimed its first victims.

The man's last words rang through her ears again and again.

"_If you care for the world, stay away from us."_

_. . ._

Korra was then whisked away to the scene of their second Championship battle against the Wolfbats, two months after that awful night. She watched as her other self stood back to back with Mako as they dodged every shot the Wolfbats shot at them.

They had received a call earlier, the person giving no time to even say hello, began to rattle off the Wolfbats game plan. They had sat there shocked and listened. They were prepared this time and they would win fairly, without stooping to Wolfbats low level.

The Wolfbats kept sending many illegal shots at them and Mako and Korra skillfully dodged each one. Mako looked over her shoulder for a second to check on Bolin who was faring well on his own, dodging their anticipated attacks and sending chunks of earth towards the Wolfbats.

Mako then nodded to Korra and she nodded back. They locked their arms and jumped into the air, kicking fire and water towards the surprised Wolfbats.

It knocked them clear into Zone 2. The green light flashed and the Fire Ferrets entered the zone. Korra sent a wave of water towards Tahno, the water bending Wolfbat, and it hit him square in the face. He stumbled back and regained his balance just before entering Zone 3.

He looked at her, his eyes narrowing at her and sent a powerful wave of water crashing towards her. She growled and sent it crashing to the side. She could feel the sweat dripping off her head and she knee Mako and Bolin were feeling the same heat.

It had come down to this, they were at the climax of the game and they fought together, in sync, sending out attacks one after the other, slowly pushing the Wolfbats towards the edge.

"Together, one last time." Mako shouted and they nodded. They dropped their attacks and ran towards the Wolfbats, who realized that this might be it for them, and jumped into the air, each sending a powerful wave of their elements towards to Wolfbats.

It hit dead center and the three Wolfbats fell off the edge and into the water down below.

The crowd roared with cheers as they took of their helmets and looked at the crowd. They all felt the spotlight on them, they had won the Championships.

They turned to each other and broke out into huge smiles and Bolin grabbed them into a huge hug, "We did it you guys, we won!" He shouted happily, squishing the other two into the bear hug.

"Haha yeah, we did it!" Korra shouted, pumping her fists into the air. Mako laughed and slung one arm over his brother's shoulders.

"Well would you look at that folks? The Fire Ferrets take the winning! The Fire Ferrets are the new Champions; it seems like just yesterday they were the rookies of the arena and now look at how far they've come!" The announcer announced. The Fire Ferrets looked at each once more and started to cheer.

. . .

The last scene Korra saw was one that she held dear to her heart. She was standing at the edge of the cliff outside of the Air Temple, looking at the glowing city at the other end of Yue Bay.

She sighed, she should be happy; they had just won the Championship after all. But she couldn't be happy; the war still haunted her, taking up her remaining energy in fighting Amon and chi-blockers. That night, months ago still plagued her dreams night after night.

She was so tired. Tired of everything, but she had to be strong for everyone else. And she was stronger than this, she knew it. But she couldn't do this alone.

She needed a supporting hand, here in the city she had a handful of close friends (read: Tenzin, Lin, Bolin, Asami, Tahno and Mako) but none were close enough to help her bear through her first experience with the real world.

She tossed a pebble into the water, watching it as it formed ripples as it skipped across the water's surface. She heard footsteps approaching her but she didn't turn to look.

"Hey Korra." A deep, smooth voice said from behind her and her heart-rate instantly picked up. She quickly slowed it back down to normal and stopped the blush that was creeping up her neck.

"What do you want, Mako?" She asked indifferently.

She could tell he had shoved his hands into his pockets, "You seemed a bit out of it lately, is everything alright?" He asked.

She turned to him, "Everything's fine, thanks for asking." She said, giving a warm (and fake) smile.

He didn't look convinced, he let out a frustrated sigh, "Look Korra, I don't know why but for some strange reason, I care about you _a lot _and I don't like it when you're upset, so cut the crap and tell me what's bothering you." He said, clearly frustrated, though she couldn't tell if it was her he was frustrated with or not.

She looked shocked, "Uh _what?" _She asked.

He grumbled, "Don't make me say it again."

She found herself smiling a bit, "Well fine then Cool Guy, I guess I'll tell you." She said, sitting down and motioning for him to join her. He looked hesitant but after a moment of thought, he walked over and sat down next to her.

"So talk." He ordered.

She sighed, this was it, she was going to tell someone, "I guess I'm just stressed about everything that's going with the war, you know? What if I'm not good enough or strong enough to beat Amon? People have already died, Mako. And some of them I just stood by and watched helplessly. Everyone expects me to beat Amon and I don't know if I can live up to their expectations or die trying to.

And amidst that, some people want me dead or banned from the city. I can't even go anywhere, without at least a few people throwing things at me or yelling at me. It hurts, you know? A person can only take so much." She explained, "And that's not even all of it. I still have to learn air bending, and it's so frustrating because it's coming so hard to me. It may be the only thing I could use against Amon, but I can't even make a leaf move." She said exasperatedly.

Mako sighed, "That's a lot of stuff to deal with." He said once she had finished her little rant, "But I know you can deal with it. Korra, you're one of the strongest people I know, not the most level-headed at times, but you get through everything at the end of the day. And you will this time, I'm sure of it." He said.

Korra was a bit shocked; it was rare for Mako to speak his mind. She was a bit flattered (okay, a lot, she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest and start to dance) that he thought so highly of her, but the pessimist in her wondered how could he be so sure that she would be able to defeat Amon.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.

"Because I wouldn't have fallen in love with you if I wasn't." He blurted out, looking her in the eyes. Both their eyes widened at his revelation.

"Uh-er, so to speak." He fumbled around, trying to fish for an excuse.

"Um yeah, right, so to speak." She laughed nervously, ignoring the celebratory fiesta her heart was having.

"Oh would you two just cut it out and kiss already!" A small voice shouted from behind the bushes. Korra and Mako jumped up and looked at the moving bush bewildered.

"Hush Ikki, they were about to kiss!" Another voice said frantically.

"Aw man, just at the good part!" Another one whined.

"What is going on?" Mako cried.

"Aw man, we've been found out. Thanks Ikki!" The second voice said.

"Hey, it's not my fault they were being stupid!" The first voice –Ikki- said and three heads popped out from behind the bushes. First Ikki, then Jinora and then Bolin.

"Were you guys _eavesdropping _on us?" Korra cried, astounded.

Jinora hopped out from behind the bush, "Maybe a little," She stated simply, "But we'll be on our way now." She said, ushering the other two away from the red teenagers.

"But it was getting good!" Bolin cried.

"Hush you, you'll ruin everything!" Jinora reprimanded, she then paused and ran back to Korra and wrapped her arms around her waist, "And by the way, I think you'll defeat Amon definitely." She whispered and then ran off, pushing the other two with them, leaving the two quite shocked.

"Thanks." Korra said quietly. An extremely awkward silence followed in which neither knew what to say.

"Well um, see you tomorrow, I guess?" Korra said, weakly turning to go as well. Mako sighed and grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving. It was now or never, he had decided, he had to get it out of him, or he might never be able to again.

He yanked her towards him and looked her in the eyes, "Look Korra, I really like you and er- I was kind of wondering if the feelings were mutual?" He asked, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Korra's eyes softened, everything was coming out now, absolutely everything, "Of course they are," She said warmly.

Mako looked at her in shock, "Really?"

She smiled, "Yeah really. But not now, after the war. It's not a safe time right now to be getting swept away." She explained.

He looked a bit disappointed but understood what she was saying, "Yeah you have a good point." He said, letting go or her arm. She nodded and pressed her lips lightly to his before walking away.

It wasn't a deal set in stone, but it was a promise, which was close enough for him.

. . .

Korra was then ripped out of her momentary flashback and came hurtling back to the real world. She could feel her energy draining away slowly. She moaned internally, she would never get the chance to avenge Tahno (who had lost his bending to Amon shortly after their match for the championship), or to save the millions of lives that would soon be destroyed and to be with Mako.

Suddenly a deep voice crackled into her head and she gasped, _"To bend one's spirit, your own spirit must be en-bendable or you will be corrupted." _She didn't know the voice; she had never heard it before in her life.

In_ her_ life, she realized, it must've been from one of her past lifetimes. And then she realized another thing. Amon was a bender.

A spirit-bender.

What he was doing was technically bending, and there was a way to stop it. She began to fight, she think of all the good memories she had, ones from the South Pole with the kinder sentries and Katara and more recent ones here in Republic City, with Bolin, Mako, Tenzin, Lin, Asami, Pema, Ikki, Jinora, Meelo and Skoochi. She gathered her will and fought back against Amon.

_I will not succumb, my bending will stay, I will continue to fight, and I will never stop. I will keep fighting until I win, I will make sure the threat of Amon ceases to exist forever from this world, I will not stop fighting, and you will be stopped. _

Others around her during this moment were barely conscious but couldn't deny seeing what happened. Korra and Amon's eyes and mouths started pouring light, Korra's green and Amon's yellow, Amon's yellow started to overtake Korra's green, but soon the green overtook the yellow, filling the room with a blinding green.

Amon collapsed on the floor and Korra opened her eyes. She groped around for soothing to hold and grabbed a nearby pile of rock. She grasped it tightly and helped herself stand.

"What did you do to me?" Amon asked weakly.

"I took away your bending." She said.

"But I can't bend." He replied.

"Yes you can, you bend spirits." She said coldly, sending a swift kick to his head, knocking him out.

Tenzin moaned and Korra rushed to his side, "Tenzin are you okay?" She asked frantically.

He let out a hoarse chuckle, "This is a very strong sense of déjà-vu for me." He said weakly.

Korra furrowed her eyebrows, "What are you talking about, did one of the chi-blockers hit you on the head or something?" She asked, checking for any head injuries.

He chuckled, "No no, it's just that what you did, was exactly what my father did, all those years ago. You're not so different from him, you know." He said.

Korra smiled, "Really?" She asked, hoping to keep him awake.

He smiled, "Yes really, now help me up, we have others to help." He said, trying to get up.

Korra stopped him, "But you're injured." She insisted.

He chuckled again, "And so is your boyfriend, now go to him. I know you would rather be tending to his wounds than mine." He joked. She blushed furiously but nodded.

She rushed over to Mako and placed his head in her lap, "Hey City Boy, you awake?" She asked gently.

He stirred and opened his eyes slightly, "Yeah I'm awake. What happened?" HE asked groggily.

She rolled her eyes, "Way to be stereotypical, couldn't you have asked something else?" She joked, helping him sit up.

He rubbed his head, "Well sorry if my comments aren't so creative, I just got knocked out, remember?" He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She chuckled, "Yeah I guess you did. Oh and by the way, I think this is way overdue." She said and leaned over a pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened but he soon succumbed to the kiss and brought his hands to her face.

They broke apart and he smiled, "I guess it's over then." He said, a crooked smile gracing his face.

"Yeah, just in the nick of time." She informed him, tired and injured, but happy nonetheless. She helped him up and together they helped everyone get up and get their lives back together.

* * *

**Not so sure about the ending, may change it later. Review with your thoughts? Pabu loves reviews!**


End file.
